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“Exposing & Combating Liberal Media Bias”
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EventsAfter Months of Ripping on Tea Parties, CNN Extols 'Coffee Parties'
CNN doesn't like the Tea Party movement, that much is clear. The cable network's on-air staff and guests have proclaimed it an "anti-government" group of "recession-raging conservatives" and "wimpy, whiny, weasels who don't love their country." The movement has a "dark undercurrent" and a "racial tinge" and is occasionally lumped in with domestic terrorists and neo-Nazis. It is plain now that CNN harbors no such ill will towards the Coffee Party, which reporter Jessica Ravitch described as just a bunch of everyday Americans gathering to express their dissatisfaction with the political status quo (gee, that sounds a lot like the Tea Party movement, but I digress). HuffPo Article Claims Tea Party is 'Motivated by Bigotry, Ignorance, and Racial Hatred'
STORY RETRACTED | Fake Tea Partier Also a Phony Soldier
RETRACTION (NB Staff - 1:22 pm): The original version of this post incorrectly stated that Dale Robertson had not served in the United States Navy. In fact, LT Dale Robertson did serve 22 years in the Navy, as he states in his website's bio. The post in question was written without ample research to support it, and NewsBusters greatly regrets the error. We extend our sincere apologies to Mr. Robertson, as well as our gratitude for his service to the country in uniform. Thanks to tipster Minuteman Steve for alerting us to the error. NewsBusters, however, stands by our criticism of media outlets that hold forth Mr. Robertson as a leader of the TEA Party movement, when in fact his is disowned and disavowed by the movement at-large. Dale Robertson, the racist nut who many in the media have paraded as emblematic of Tea Party attendees, claims to be a "leader" of the movement. In fact, he is a loner who has been rebuffed by every Tea Party group with which he has associated. ABC's John Hendren Derides: CPAC Attendees Represent the Right and 'the Far Right'
John Avlon, author of Winguts: How the Lunatic Fringe Is Hijacking America, was featured in a sound bite to deride intolerant conservatives: "Reagan's ideal of the big tent, which invited people in, is now seen as code language for liberal." On February 19, Avlon appeared on CNN attacked the "saving freedom" agenda of CPAC as "a little extreme" and "a little far out." TPM Trumpets Racist Rebuffed by Tea Party Groups as 'Prominent' 'Leader'
In fact, he doesn't represent anyone but himself. Readers can only infer from TPM's consistent coverage of one Dale Robertson that the website is attempting to play up the most radical figure it can find who associates with the Tea Party movement. The website referred to Robertson today as a "prominent Tea Party leader" in the first sentence of a story headlined, "'Warning: Tea Party In Danger': Leader Slams Palin As 'Wolf In Sheep's Clothing.'" But not only doesn't Robertson represent any faction of the movement, he has also been publicly and consistently rebuffed by a number of Tea Party groups who want nothing to do with his message. Even liberal blogs have noted the duplicity in associating him with the Tea Party movement. WaPo-owned Website: O'Reilly Racist for Noting Haiti Corruption
O'Reilly had the audacity in a January 13 "Talking Points" segment to make the "not particularly constructive" suggestion (in The Root's words) that his viewers be wary of the intermediaries they use to send aid to Haiti given the island's notorious problem with corruption. First of all, O'Reilly is a very "constructive" donor to the Haitian relief organization Haitian Health Foundation. The organization's founder, Dr. Jeremiah Lowney, heaped praise on O'Reilly for his generous donations to the cause in a letter read on air on January 22: "Mr. O, thank you for your latest donation. Your generosity over the years to the Haitian Health Foundation has brought improved health and hope to our poorest neighbors. God bless you!" Not content to merely omit facts in his dubious attacks on O'Reilly, The Root author Thomas Reed attributed O'Reilly's statement that Haiti is an immensely corrupt nation to "a far too familiar trope: Black as savage, other, incomprehensible. Inhuman. Is this hyperbole? Perhaps." Bloomberg News Calls Jack Murtha 'Supporter of Troops', Doesn't Mention Haditha Bloomberg News managed to pen a full obituary of the late Congressman Jack Murtha today, calling him a "Supporter of Troops" in the headline, without once mentioning his incendiary--and unfounded--claims that a group of Marines had murdered 24 Iraqis in cold blood (h/t Washington Examiner's Mark Hemingway).Murtha, himself a former Marine, said in 2005 after two dozen Iraqis were killed in the city of Haditha, "there was no firefight, there was no IED that killed these innocent people. Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them, and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood." Eight Marines were charged in the killings. Charges against six of them have been dropped, one has been found not-guilty, and the case against the remaining Marine is pending. Murtha was unrepentant about the slanderous accusations he leveled against these Marines. He even compared the Haditha incident to the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War (see video below the fold). Politico Glosses Over Murtha's Haditha Smear
But Murtha went beyond pressing for a formal military investigation, which is a legitimate call any congressman could and should make after an incident like Haditha. The former Marine practically declared the Marines at Haditha guilty by saying they have killed "in cold blood." Liberal Condescension Evident in Tea Party Coverage
University of Virginia Professor Gerard Alexander explored this trend more generally in yesterday's Washington Post poses the question, pondering, "Why Are Liberals So Condescending?" In his column, Alexander details four types of condescension widespread among the far-left and omnipresent in its talking points. Perhaps unsurprisingly, all four have been employed by left-leaning journalists to bash the Tea Party movement. "American liberals, to a degree far surpassing conservatives," Alexander writes, "appear committed to the proposition that their views are correct, self-evident, and based on fact and reason, while conservative positions are not just wrong but illegitimate, ideological and unworthy of serious consideration." Politico's Calderone Has a Woefully Bad Memory When It Comes to TEA Parties and 'MSM' BiasUPDATE II: Politico Executive Editor and Co-Founder Jim VandeHei on Monday appeared on Fox News Channel's O'Reilly Factor to defend the indefensible (video at right; audio here). UPDATE (below the fold): Calderone responds to us in electronic print. ----------------------------- The Politico's Michael Calderone on Sunday wrote the following headline and first paragraph. With what would appear to have been a straight face.
"Unsubstantiated claims" of media bias against the TEA Party movement? Really? Seriously? It may be time for Calderone to move off the media beat. He clearly hasn't been paying attention to major details of a major story for nearly a year. I would offer he could be moved to Obituaries, but that too would entail coverage of the "MSM." How has Calderone missed completely the now nearly ubiquitous presence of the sexually-explicit, derogatory term used by members of the "MSM" to describe the participants in said Movement? The in-person attacks on Party participants by the likes of CNN's Susan Roesgen (now no longer with the firm)? The over-arching denigrating words and deeds by people throughout the "MSM?" There is so much "MSM" anti-TEA Party venom to substantiate Sammon's assertion, one hardly knows where to begin. So we will simply list, with links and dates, documentation aplenty below. (Cursory glance result: 52 NB stories.) We hope Calderone avails himself hereof, and repents. In writing. Today. Rosie O’Donnell Falsely Spins: Stronger Response to Haiti Disaster Than Katrina, All Because of Obama
The satellite radio host added, "If there was that, sort of, mass impulse to help, I think, then, Americans would have felt more justified of, you know, helping..." In fact, two days after Hurricane Katrina, on August 31, 2005, President Bush said this in the Rose Garden: "Right now, the days seem awfully dark for those affected. I understand that." He continued, "But I'm confident that with time, you'll get your life back in order. New communities will flourish. The great City of New Orleans will be back on its feet. And America will be a stronger place for it. The country stands with you. We'll do all in our power to help you." The speech also laid out exactly how the National Guard, FEMA and other government agencies would assist the effort. Joy Behar: Tim Tebow Just As Easily Could Have Been 'Rapist Pedophile' Discounting the pro-life argument of a planned Focus on the Family Super Bowl ad featuring Tim Tebow's mother, Joy Behar told the audience of the January 26 "View" that the Florida quarterback just as easily could have been a "rapist pedophile." [audio available here]
"What are people flippin' out about," bewildered moderator Whoopi Goldberg -- herself an ardent pro-choice activist -- asked. "The only argument against any of it is, that, you know, he could just as easily become some kind of a rapist pedophile. I mean, you don't know what someone's going to be," Behar answered, adding: MRC's Bozell Challenges CBS to Stand Ground, Air Tim Tebow Super Bowl Ad
Bozell added that "CBS has the opportunity to make this a game-changer for network television," an "opportunity to show balance and fairness -- and simple decency" and "to stand against liberal liberal political censorship." Time's Karen Tumulty: Pat Robertson Akin to Terrorist-tied Muslim Clerics?"Radical cleric" is a term many news outlets, including the Associated Press, have used to describe Islamic clerics who encourage and/or train radical Muslims for jihad against civilians in the West. Case in point: Anwar al Awlaki, who reportedly inspired Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan's shooting spree. But a commenter on Time magazine's Swampland blog seems to have convinced writer Karen Tumulty that the term is appropriate to apply to Pat Robertson, given his loopy pronouncement that a long-ago "pact with the devil" made by Haiti has cursed the Caribbean nation and resulted in yesterday's devastating earthquake: Alter Blasts Cheney for 'Emboldening the Terrorists' -- Says He's 'Very Dangerous' and 'Must Be Stopped'The liberal intelligentsia are often all too eager to accuse conservatives of being fear-mongers, purveyors of hate speech, etc. But when they engage in what they accuse conservatives of doing, it's a different set of rules. Take Newsweek columnist and MSNBC regular Jonathan Alter for example. In an appearance on MSNBC's Jan. 5 "The Rachel Maddow Show," Alter took it to former Vice President Dick Cheney for being critical of the Obama administration - saying the President made us "less safe," which according to Alter, "emboldens" the terrorists (emphasis added). "The problem, I think, we have now is sort of crystallized by former Vice President Cheney's role in this debate," Alter said. "And I think that he has actually gotten to a place where he is emboldening the terrorists. If you have a former vice president who is saying that our current president is weak - by the way, that's the first time in American history that's ever taken place, that a former president - a former vice president has said the sitting president is not protecting the country. Never happened before, must end." Taxpayer-Funded Immaturity: NPR Teaches Readers 'To Speak Tea Bag'
This video dated Nov. 12, 2009 was created by Mark Fiore, a political animator, who NPR reports is described by The Wall Street Journal as "the undisputed guru of the form." The video demonstrates for viewers how to speak "tea bag," which is a term lefties for whatever reason seem to find absolutely hilarious. (h/t Jesse Hathaway via Bob Parks). Transcript as follows:
Video Embedded Below Fold Flight 253: AP Ignores Own Christmas Dispatch to Pretend Obama's Jan. 2 AQ Involvement Cite Is Important
In a report time-stamped January 2, the Associated Press's Philip Elliott relayed what was supposedly important news:
You don't say? The story was on the front page of Sunday's Cincinnati Enquirer, and likely many other papers across the nation. Elliott was also co-author of a piece I cited last week (at NewsBusters; at BizzyBlog) as "deliberately gullible":
56 Papers Issue Joint Editorial Demanding Action On 'Profound Emergency' in Copenhagen
The earth is burning, the earth is burning! And it's all our fault! That's the essence of an editorial slated to appear in 56 newspapers worldwide today, including at least one in the U.S. Michelle Malkin pointedly notes that we aren't likely to see much interest in ClimateGate out of these "Chicken Little" publications. Here are some paragraphs from the very deep, very wide fever swamp, taken from the web site of the UK Guardian, which to no one's surprise spearheaded the collective effort:
D'oh! WaPo Mistakenly Suggested Public Enemy Rap Group Were 9/11 TruthersOops! "A Nov. 26 article in the District edition of Local Living incorrectly said a Public Enemy song declared 9/11 a joke. The song refers to 911, the emergency phone number." That's the text of a correction the Post published yesterday to amend an error made in Akeya Dickson's article, "A note of hope from voices of experience: Public enemy reaches out to homeless youth in D.C." Here's how the corrected portion now reads:
"911 Is a Joke" was a hit rap single in 1990 and the third track on Public Enemy's 1990 album, "Fear of a Black Planet." The song was critical of slow response times from the 9-1-1 emergency dispatch service. ABC and NBC Grill Obama Official On Security Breach, CBS Takes A Pass
On Good Morning America, co-host Robin Roberts wondered why White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers would not be testifying before Congress on the issue: “But, first, I want to ask you about the congressional hearing today. And ask you why isn't the social secretary, Desiree Rogers, testifying today before Congress?....you know that leaves people thinking, Valerie, that there’s something more.” Similarly, on Today, co-host Meredith Vieira asked Jarrett: “White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers. She was the point person for that event. She is the one who failed to assign aides to vet guests at those checkpoints. She’s the one who named herself a guest instead of a staffer, and yet, she is not being investigated. The Secret Service is, but not her. Do you think she should be investigated?” Joy Behar’s Moral Quandary: 'Isn't it a Little Racist to Call it Black Friday?'There's nothing like tuning into an episode of "The View" for a little exploration of social sensitivities in the modern American culture. In keeping with that tradition, on Black Friday, a term used to describe the Friday following Thanksgiving, which is the beginning of the traditional Christmas shopping season, the use of the word "black" to mark this occasion was a topic of discussion on "The View" for its potential "racist" implications. Co-hosts Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar, who has her own primetime HLN cable show, debated the use of "black" on the Nov. 27 pre-recorded broadcast. Goldberg, a black woman, took the meaning to be a positive and that there was nothing wrong with it used that way. Behar, however, was trouble with the word "black" used in conjunction with Friday, taking the meaning as a negative (emphasis added): Savannah, Georgia CBS Affiliate Takes Political Correctness to Task in On-Air Editorial - You'll Never See This on National TV
It is certainly refreshing to hear and see a news executive say these sorts of things, given the prostraters to PC that so thoroughly inhabit his profession. Cathcart began by speaking of the horrific Fort Hood, Texas murders by Islamist extremist Nidal Malik Hasan, and pointing out how it was political correctness (PC) that cowed everyone from talking to anyone about this obviously dangerous man. Cathcart rightly points out that this oppressive PC regime dominates not just the Army, but the nation. "We've become so ridiculous with our political correctness. So afraid of offending, despite the truth. So overly tolerant and self-effacing, pandering and apologizing to be liked. Putting up with absurd challenges to our Constitution, laws, traditions and freedoms, that we've become a nation of enablers for those with evil intent." Leading the charge on this are, of course, Cathcart's media cohorts. There are no greater PC enablers and enforcers than the men and women who allegedly deliver us the news. Foreign Policy Magazine: Ft. Hood Happened Because Muslims Aren’t 'Comfortable'
According to Simon and Stevenson, Major Nidal Malik Hasan was simply another American Muslim that was the victim of "innumerable stresses, including discrimination and the strain of divided loyalties in their country's eight-year-long war against Muslims in the Middle East and Central Asia." The authors argued that such circumstances would be "enough to inspire conflict in the minds of even the most patriotic of American Muslims in the U.S." So much so that it should be "no surprise" that "one unstable member of this community finally erupted in violence." It's our fault. Americans aren't making Muslims "comfortable." And the article specifically cited "Christian right-wing rhetoric" as a catalyst in the "Muslim alienation" which led to Hasan's shooting spree. Rift? Hillary Doesn't Express Support For Decision to Try KSM In NYCIf Hillary Clinton had been any less supportive of the Obama admin's decision to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in Manhattan, she might have had to quit her Secretary of State job . . . MRC-TV: Brent Bozell Double Feature: 'Hannity' and 'Fox & Friends'Media Research Center President and NewsBusters Publisher Brent Bozell appeared on "Hannity" last night and talked about the Fort Hood shooting as well as the conservative rally at the Capitol yesterday which drew thousands on short notice. [see video embedded at right] Regarding the latter Bozell quipped, "Spontaneous combustion! This wasn't an instant tea party. This was a coffee urn exploding." "There's something huge going on out there. And if people on Capitol Hill don't want to pay attention to them, fine, they'll become private citizens just like I am," Bozell added. As to the Fort Hood shooting, Bozell noted that the attack reminds us "that we're up against some pretty awful stuff in this world today, some pretty evil stuff." This morning, Bozell returned to Fox News's New York headquarters to chat with the hosts of "Fox & Friends." You can watch the entire interview in the embedded video below the page break:
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